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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Y4 DS not changing school reading book.

40 replies

LesAnimaux · 24/04/2012 20:54

Apparently a TA comes to the class once a day and asks who wants to change their reading book.

DS, who struggles with reading, hardly ever says he want to change his book and therefore we have each book for about six weeks. I think he doesn't change his book either because he knows if he gets a new book he will have to read it (although we we have been reading each book several times) or because he is being dozy/pre-occupied.

I spoke to his teacher about this at parents evening. We agreed he would be given a new book each Monday, and I would ensure he finished it before the next Monday. This hasn't happened, and I have been writing in his diary every day "Please could DS have a new reading book". Obviously the diary, which is intended for home school communication is not being read by the school.

Today he chose to change his book. The TA has written "I cannot change books unless I have his old book and diary." Fair enough, but I do put them in his bag every morning, what else can I do?

So it's all left down to an 8 year old to ensure he changes his book.

(He has been reading books from the town library, but it's difficult to find books he wants to read which are his level)

He goes to before and after school club, so I can't just pop in and have a word with the teacher at the beginning or the end of the day.

WWYD?

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Original poster

LesAnimaux · 29/04/2012 14:59

FFS, he is in Y4 - he needs help with lots of things, just like DS1 did when he was in Y4- but can now do for himself because he is 13, not 8. For the record, my 13 year old knows what time to leave for school, and remembers to brush his teeth twice a day.

I shall continue parenting the way I always have, will address this issue with the school tomorrow a.m. (I'm not sure why I doubted my self now ).

Some of you will be very pleased to know he has missed out of a lot of things he wanted to do this week, due to being left to remember things himself. That's learn ''im. (Or more probably, wont.)

OP posts:

mrz · 29/04/2012 15:02

Perhaps that is the route of the problem LesAnimaux ... I'm sad you punished your son

mrz · 29/04/2012 15:07

root

Original poster

LesAnimaux · 29/04/2012 15:15

I have not punished him!!! (I don't do punishments - maybe that is the root of the problem

He has forgotten things, like taking trainers too tennis. You can't compete in a tournament with no trainers, can you! Etc, etc.

OP posts:

mrz · 29/04/2012 15:25

perhaps he didn't want to take part in them either .

Original poster

LesAnimaux · 29/04/2012 15:30

Oh, but he very much did.

OP posts:

Original poster

LesAnimaux · 29/04/2012 15:32

I will leave this, thread now. I know my son, I know how gorgeous he is. It's sad enough for me (and him) that he struggles to read without being made to feel like a bad parent, or blaming myself, the school, or him.

Thank you to those who offered constructive support.

OP posts:

mrz · 29/04/2012 15:43

I'm sure he is gorgeous

IndigoBell · 29/04/2012 15:51

Les - is he on the SEN register, and does he have an IEP?

You don't need a dx to be in the SEN register - you need to need extra support - which it sounds like he does.

The IEP would be very much like the agreement you had with school, but slightly more formal so that there's more chance if it happening.

Eg it might be written up as:
Goal: Little Les to change his reading book once a week
Who will help him: his TA will prompt him every Mon
Success Criteria: Little Les to change his book every week this term

Or whatever format your school uses.

They normally have 3 targets and are reviewed every term.

But the real point of it is the discussion you and his teacher have every term about him.

teacherwith2kids · 29/04/2012 15:51

In general, I expect children in my class to change their own books (Year 3). However, all the children who are on the SEN register / have any type of intervention - which as a struggling reader, your son would have in our particular school's system - tend to be helped to do so on a 1:1 or small group basis by the TA who is responsible for the reading interventions. Does your son receive any special help with his reading, and if so, could book changing be incorporatd into that?

Or could your son have a 'to do' list / task board in some form (with pictures or words) in the classroom / at home to prompt him? We do that for some of our children who have working memory problems and can't hold more than 1 instruction at a time - for things like end of day routine, getting ready for PE etc we have found them invaluable. If he doesn't want to call attention to it, could you put one on his bag for him e.g. on a key fob like thing and he could check it when he puts his bag away or picks it up at the end of the day?

I am more concerned by the failure to check home-school liaison books daily - for us, those are the main communication route between school and home, in which information about e.g. who is picking up from school [we don't release to anyone different unless we have signed parental permission in liaison books - too many children at risk so we apply a blanket rule] is shared as well as feedback on homework, notes about lost swimming kit etc are given. They are routinely checked first thing - the children settle to their first task of the day, I take the register, TA checks the Home school books.

Rezolution · 29/04/2012 15:53

Could you email the teacher? Ask the receptionist if you can send a message?

mumblesmum · 29/04/2012 16:01

For the record, LesAnimeaux (in case you poke your head in on the thread again), I wasn't getting at you at all with my comments. I am amazed that the school hasn't trained children to take responsibility for changing their own reading books by Y4.
If it's anything like our system, it's a matter of going to the colour coded box and choosing a book you like. Simples. All of our SEN children are able to do this as well, as long as the teacher keeps an eye on the home reading diary.
It's all about learning how to be independent, isn't it?

mumblesmum · 29/04/2012 16:02

.... and if they need a reminder list (pictures or words), then that works too.

PastSellByDate · 30/04/2012 13:27

LesAnimaux:

I'm not certain if this is an issue of your DS not wanting to read, so avoiding chosing a new book (so he can get 'off the hook') or if this is disorganisation on the part of the school. Like all these things there's probably a bit of fault on both sides.

I'm kind of surprised it's just the one book - our school also allows class library and school library books to be taken home (my DD1 in Y4 - has up to 3 books on the go and her in-class guided reading book doesn't come home at all - to reduce loss/ damage issues for school, which we can understand - since the school usually only buys in sets of 6).

Is the solution to work out what your DS does like reading (it can even be comic books) and get the reading happening? With DD1 we had these problems in Y3 (partly because of staff being away with various horrible illnesses which were no fault of their own) and we solved it by borrowing/ exchanging and buying in books to supplement reading at school.

DH also is reliving his youth by reading with the DDs and reading those books he adored (the Hobbit, the Weirdstone of Brisingamen) and I've been reading A Christmas Carol (last December) and Charlotte's Web. We enjoy the family time and have fun sharing stories we liked as children. A friend also handed us down the Lemony Snicket series - so we're also reading through those.

If you do collect your DS after school (even if only one day a week) - why not just make a point of checking if the book has been changed, and if it hasn't send him back in. We found this was very successful with DD2 when books just weren't getting home at all in Y1. I just played totally innocent - Oh DD2 doesn't seem to have her book? I was just sending her back in to check her drawer in case she forgot to put it in her bag. The teacher gradually got the message I was checking and the problem eventually disappeared completely.

propercheesed · 01/05/2012 15:06

Please don't get me started on this!....ok too late!

DS is 6.11 he is expected to hand his book in so the TA can read with him, unfortunatly he was not keen on reading therefore gave excuses e.g forgot his book, lost his bag etc etc. I have spoken to the TA in person due to him memorising his books and assured her that his book is always in his bag, tried giving him books from home but unfortunatly due to my "duty of care" he is supposed to read what is handed out in school so I must actively make sure his reading is being done. So now he is eager to get on with all his other levels but isn't getting read with and I am still being told that he is not handing his book in and is still (according to the school) 2 yrs behind. So can anyone tell me what happens there then?? at what point will the TA use her common sense??

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